Boeing reports record jet deliveries in 2017

Top U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing said Tuesday that it delivered a record number of commercial airplanes last year and sold 134.8 billion U.S. dollars worth of aircraft worldwide.

Boeing said in a statement that it "delivered more commercial airplanes than any manufacturer for the sixth consecutive year and set an industry record with 763 deliveries in 2017."

That number is up from the 748 in 2016 and in line with its forecast. Last year's deliveries also topped the prior record of 762 set in 2015.

European rival Airbus is slated to report its 2017 orders and deliveries next week.

Boeing's larger order book was driven by a high output of the market-leading 737 and 787 jets, said the aerospace giant.

It said that the company had raised to 47 the production of 737-type airplanes a month last year, setting a record high sale of 539 jets, including the delivery of 74 various types of its new 737 MAX model.

By the end of last year, Boeing struck deals with 71 customers worldwide for a total of 912 new orders, pushing its backlog to a record 5,864 commercial airplanes, equal to about seven years of production.

"The strong sales activity reflects continuing strong demand for the 737 MAX family, including the ultra-efficient MAX 10 variant that we launched last year, and the market's increasing preference for Boeing's family of twin-aisle jets," said Kevin McAllister, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Boeing racked up nearly 100 orders for its 787 Dreamliner jets and 60 orders for the 777 family in 2017.